Press releases

Education Focus of Hereford Annual Meeting Weekend

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Members of the American Hereford Association (AHA) will gather in Kansas City Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 for the 2010 Annual Meeting. Hereford enthusiasts from across the U.S. will enjoy a full schedule of events and activities including educational forums, the Annual Meeting and the National Hereford Show during the American Royal.

The Annual Membership Meeting, which is open to the public, will be at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 1, at the Clubhouse on Baltimore Tudor Room in downtown Kansas City. Association members selected 136 delegates to conduct the Association’s business at the meeting and to elect three new members to serve on the AHA Board of Directors.

The Board candidates are Tom Boatman, Rockmart, Ga.; Richard Gebhart, Claremore, Okla.; Keith Fawcett, Ree Heights, S.D.; Steve Lambert, Oroville, Calif.; and Dale Venhuizen, Manhattan, Mont. The Association’s Annual Report will be presented and distributed during the Annual Meeting along with other reports on activities within the Association, Hereford Publications Inc., Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC and the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA). This year’s Hereford Heritage Hall of Fame and Hereford Hall of Merit recipients will also be recognized.

But before the Annual Meeting, the weekend kicks off Saturday morning at the Clubhouse on Baltimore Tudor Room with educational forums. All Hereford breeders are encouraged to attend these meetings. The forum will begin at 7:30 a.m. Topics to be included are: genomics, reproduction, advocating for agriculture, animal welfare and a panel will discuss how to strategize for the future in order to meet the needs of the commercial industry.

Buses will be available following the forums to shuttle attendees to the American Royal Complex for the Ladies of the Royal sale, which will start at 5:30 p.m. The sale preview will begin at 4 p.m. Following the sale, at around 6:30 Saturday evening, there will be a Boots and Brew II HYFA reception in the American Royal Governor’s room at the American Royal Complex.

Sunday morning the junior Hereford show will begin at 8 at the American Royal Complex. The junior show judge will be Ernie Wallace, Stotts City, Mo. The National Hereford Show will follow the junior show, judged by Bill Conley, Clarksdale, Mo. During the show, recipients of 2010 show awards will be recognized and the 2010-11 National Hereford Queen will be crowned.

At 10 a.m. the AHA Board of Directors will be available in the American Royal Governor’s room at the American Royal Complex to answer questions about the Association and its programs.

For those who can’t make the trip to Kansas City, show results will be available online at Hereford.org.

The AHA headquarters hotel will be the Hilton President Kansas City, located at 1329 Baltimore in downtown Kansas City, just blocks from the AHA office. To contact the Hilton President, call 816- 221-9490. The deadline to reserve rooms in the AHA block is Oct. 8.

The hotel is in the downtown Kansas City area called the Power and Light District. The nine-square-block area offers retail and dining options as well as entertainment. For more information about dining and entertainment options visit www.powerandlightdistrict.com.

For general questions about the Annual Meeting and other scheduled events, contact Mary Ellen Hummel at 816-842-3757 or mhummel@hereford.org.

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The American Hereford Association, with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the largest U.S. beef breed associations. The not-for-profit organization along with its subsidiaries — Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC, Hereford Publications Inc. (HPI) and American Beef Records Association (ABRA) — provides programs and services for its members and their customers, while promoting the Hereford breed and supporting education, youth and research. For more information about the Association, visit Hereford.org.